Published: Sunday, November 18, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Saturday, November 17, 2012 at 6:34 p.m.

Every city has historic landmarks that will always have a sentimental value.

Just about any place you go, there will always be someone there who remembers how things use to be and look in the past compared to now.

Martin Folse, owner of HTV 10, had this same feeling when he decided to buy and renovate the old Dupont Building in downtown Houma where he will move the TV station.

“It was closed up for 14 years. They had old boards on the windows. It was just in pretty bad shape. Every time I went in, I could sort of see what the building could be. There were a lot of people like myself whose parents shopped there. It just killed me to see it closed up,” Folse said.

Folse said when the station moves into its new quarters, viewers shouldn’t be inconvenienced much. And the station will be able to make some improvements.

“We should have a pretty seamless move. At the most, we would be down for probably six to eight hours, from midnight to 6 or 8 in the morning. That’s at max. We may not be down at all. We will use a backup transmitter until we get the main one in,” he said.

HTV 10’s towers will remain on the east side of Houma and will broadcast its programing using an STL signal. This digital signal will be sent to the main antenna, which will then broadcast the signal everywhere else.

Viewers do not have to worry about a channel change. The news broadcast will remain on channel 10 for local viewers.

The company is excited about the move and has many plans for the new space.

“We are going to have much bigger sports sets. We are going to be able to do more audience shows because of the space. We will have bigger weather maps on green screens,” Folse said.

He bought the building last year for $350,000, according to the Terrebonne Clerk of Court Office, but he wouldn’t disclose the renovation costs.

In the beginning phases of construction, he ran into some problems with permits but said everything has since then been taking care of.

“That was really blown out of proportion in the beginning. I got an all-inclusive permit, and there was a misunderstanding with one of the area’s residents. That was taken care of on the spot. I’ve been working well with Pat Gordon. It’s been fine,” Folse said.

Gordon is director of the Terrebonne Parish planning and zoning office. He said since the building is very old, Folse had to go through many channels to obtain permits.

Folse had to work with many state officials. Some officials he dealt with were the state Fire Marshal’s Office and the Houma Downtown Development Commission.

“He brought it back to life again, and we are very appreciative of that,” Gordon said. ”It will be an anchor for our downtown. You can see the true lines of the original building.”

There were many renovations that had to be done and still have to be done, Folse said.

“Structurally it was in good shape. I spent many days in there with a can of spray paint to mark off where certain offices will be. That led us to where we are now — trying to make it in to a beautiful building,” he said.

Construction on the building has been going on for about 16 months. Folse said one of the biggest challenges in the beginning was securing everything that posed a threat before workers could start work.

“We had to have a structural engineer go through and check everything. We had to strip the old building first before we could do anything.”

There was much damage to the ceiling. In some areas it was falling down. There were several water leaks that had to be fixed. There were air units and paneling that had to be removed.

Since then, workers have redone the paneling and applied insulation foam to the entire inside of the building. A metal roof is planned as a finishing touch. Workers are also installing a 6-inch slab on the inside and have redone and added piping.

“We are making good progress. I think we moved quicker than most. I’m very pleased,” Folse said.

Folse uncovered many interesting things since the renovations. During the time workers were tearing down the paneling, they uncovered something unique.

“There were four brick archways that were nostalgic and had really grabbed me,” he said. “Some bricks had damages, so we started replacing and salvaging what we could. It was probably one of the most fun projects that I did.”

Folse goes to the building, which is seven minutes away from the current station on St. Charles Street, about four times a day. He said it’s like a hobby of his to work on it, and he loves that kind of work.

“Another little nostalgic thing we found carved in on the wood was names of the carpenters that worked on the building. It’s upstairs in an unstable area, but it’s pretty neat to know someone’s grandfather or uncle was up there.”

Folse said there was an old safe left in there that he is going to put in his office as a keepsake item.

Besides the renovations, there will be some new features added to the building.

“There used to be a balcony way back in the day, so the balcony is coming back. We are in the process of building that. There is going to be parking in back, and we are going to build a wrought-iron fence around it for secure parking. We are going to restore the old fireplaces upstairs and are building a few apartments and living quarters for staff and their families during a hurricane,” Folse said.

Folse hopes to start moving in some of the station’s offices within the next four months, though the building will not be completely renovated.

Once the building is complete, Folse plans on having a grand opening for anyone who would like to take a tour. He knows the value it holds to many and would like to share that experience with them.

“A lot of people ask why I took this project on. It’s not always about the project or about me but about something I could give back to the community. I mean I will benefit from it, but we are bringing the building back alive again, and it makes me proud, to be honest with you.”

Folse said hundreds of people have stopped him to reminisce and tell him stories. He’s had about five elderly people come in while he was there working and ask if they could have something in the building. He usually gives them a brick or piece of wood that was used in its original construction.

“One of them was 90 years old. She asked if she could have something. I told her I had a stack of old St. Joe brick, and she was tickled pink.”

Folse, just like other people, appreciates the value of the building and what it meant to the community. He filmed what the entire building looked like before renovation so he could do a before-and-after film at the grand opening.

Staff Writer Sable LeFrere can be reached at 985-857-2204 or at sable.lefrere@houmatoday.com.

<p>Every city has historic landmarks that will always have a sentimental value. </p><p>Just about any place you go, there will always be someone there who remembers how things use to be and look in the past compared to now. </p><p>Martin Folse, owner of HTV 10, had this same feeling when he decided to buy and renovate the old Dupont Building in downtown Houma where he will move the TV station.</p><p>“It was closed up for 14 years. They had old boards on the windows. It was just in pretty bad shape. Every time I went in, I could sort of see what the building could be. There were a lot of people like myself whose parents shopped there. It just killed me to see it closed up,” Folse said.</p><p>Folse said when the station moves into its new quarters, viewers shouldn't be inconvenienced much. And the station will be able to make some improvements.</p><p>“We should have a pretty seamless move. At the most, we would be down for probably six to eight hours, from midnight to 6 or 8 in the morning. That's at max. We may not be down at all. We will use a backup transmitter until we get the main one in,” he said.</p><p>HTV 10's towers will remain on the east side of Houma and will broadcast its programing using an STL signal. This digital signal will be sent to the main antenna, which will then broadcast the signal everywhere else. </p><p>Viewers do not have to worry about a channel change. The news broadcast will remain on channel 10 for local viewers.</p><p>The company is excited about the move and has many plans for the new space. </p><p>“We are going to have much bigger sports sets. We are going to be able to do more audience shows because of the space. We will have bigger weather maps on green screens,” Folse said.</p><p>He bought the building last year for $350,000, according to the Terrebonne Clerk of Court Office, but he wouldn't disclose the renovation costs. </p><p>In the beginning phases of construction, he ran into some problems with permits but said everything has since then been taking care of. </p><p>“That was really blown out of proportion in the beginning. I got an all-inclusive permit, and there was a misunderstanding with one of the area's residents. That was taken care of on the spot. I've been working well with Pat Gordon. It's been fine,” Folse said.</p><p>Gordon is director of the Terrebonne Parish planning and zoning office. He said since the building is very old, Folse had to go through many channels to obtain permits. </p><p>Folse had to work with many state officials. Some officials he dealt with were the state Fire Marshal's Office and the Houma Downtown Development Commission.</p><p>“He brought it back to life again, and we are very appreciative of that,” Gordon said. ”It will be an anchor for our downtown. You can see the true lines of the original building.”</p><p>There were many renovations that had to be done and still have to be done, Folse said. </p><p>“Structurally it was in good shape. I spent many days in there with a can of spray paint to mark off where certain offices will be. That led us to where we are now — trying to make it in to a beautiful building,” he said.</p><p>Construction on the building has been going on for about 16 months. Folse said one of the biggest challenges in the beginning was securing everything that posed a threat before workers could start work.</p><p>“We had to have a structural engineer go through and check everything. We had to strip the old building first before we could do anything.”</p><p>There was much damage to the ceiling. In some areas it was falling down. There were several water leaks that had to be fixed. There were air units and paneling that had to be removed.</p><p>Since then, workers have redone the paneling and applied insulation foam to the entire inside of the building. A metal roof is planned as a finishing touch. Workers are also installing a 6-inch slab on the inside and have redone and added piping.</p><p>“We are making good progress. I think we moved quicker than most. I'm very pleased,” Folse said. </p><p>Folse uncovered many interesting things since the renovations. During the time workers were tearing down the paneling, they uncovered something unique.</p><p>“There were four brick archways that were nostalgic and had really grabbed me,” he said. “Some bricks had damages, so we started replacing and salvaging what we could. It was probably one of the most fun projects that I did.”</p><p>Folse goes to the building, which is seven minutes away from the current station on St. Charles Street, about four times a day. He said it's like a hobby of his to work on it, and he loves that kind of work. </p><p>“Another little nostalgic thing we found carved in on the wood was names of the carpenters that worked on the building. It's upstairs in an unstable area, but it's pretty neat to know someone's grandfather or uncle was up there.”</p><p>Folse said there was an old safe left in there that he is going to put in his office as a keepsake item.</p><p>Besides the renovations, there will be some new features added to the building. </p><p>“There used to be a balcony way back in the day, so the balcony is coming back. We are in the process of building that. There is going to be parking in back, and we are going to build a wrought-iron fence around it for secure parking. We are going to restore the old fireplaces upstairs and are building a few apartments and living quarters for staff and their families during a hurricane,” Folse said.</p><p>Folse hopes to start moving in some of the station's offices within the next four months, though the building will not be completely renovated. </p><p>Once the building is complete, Folse plans on having a grand opening for anyone who would like to take a tour. He knows the value it holds to many and would like to share that experience with them.</p><p>“A lot of people ask why I took this project on. It's not always about the project or about me but about something I could give back to the community. I mean I will benefit from it, but we are bringing the building back alive again, and it makes me proud, to be honest with you.”</p><p>Folse said hundreds of people have stopped him to reminisce and tell him stories. He's had about five elderly people come in while he was there working and ask if they could have something in the building. He usually gives them a brick or piece of wood that was used in its original construction.</p><p>“One of them was 90 years old. She asked if she could have something. I told her I had a stack of old St. Joe brick, and she was tickled pink.”</p><p>Folse, just like other people, appreciates the value of the building and what it meant to the community. He filmed what the entire building looked like before renovation so he could do a before-and-after film at the grand opening.</p><p>Staff Writer Sable LeFrere can be reached at 985-857-2204 or at sable.lefrere@houmatoday.com.</p>